


The Feudal Crusade

by Shidelhau



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M, Feudal Japan, However a Mordhau From a Longsword Can and Will Go Through a Helmet, Katanas Cannot in Fact Cut Through Plate Armor., Knights vs. Samurai, Medieval Germany, Unintentional Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-24
Updated: 2019-08-25
Packaged: 2020-09-25 04:40:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20370832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shidelhau/pseuds/Shidelhau
Summary: A 15th Century German knight, Leopold, is dropped into feudal Japan two centuries before his time. Now he must learn to live in a world he knows nothing about.





	1. Arrival

**Author's Note:**

> https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1dRB3LQt3ksZmTspk8M89B0QXxXu3GnBF  
If you want to know what Leopold’s armor looks like, or do not recognize the names for certain pieces, here you go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize if any of my translations are wrong or grammatically incorrect, I used google translate for most of it.

Leopold groaned as his eyes slowly opened. “Fuck it’s hot.” This was quickly explained by his lack of peripheral vision. He was in his armor. He may have been drunk the night before, but if he had enough to forget everything for the past half-day, he would not have had the coordination to put on his suit, and his servants would’ve known not to help him. Climbing to his feet, Leopold removed his helm, the tail of articulated plates on the back dragging over the padded coif he wore underneath. He removed the coif as well, electing to carry it in his helmet. Looking around, he realized that he was in a forest. This was not however, a lush German forest as he was familiar with. This forest was made up of a dense pack of segmented green stalks, each perhaps thirty meters or taller. “Where in hell am I?” He asked himself. “Guess I’d better start walking.”

———

He didn’t know how long he had been traveling, but by now, the heat had intensified, and grown truly unbearable. He had long since removed all his armor, and was now carrying it wrapped in his arming doublet. It had taken a great deal of effort to remove the suit on his own, and put it together in a way that it could be carried at all. Ultimately, he had to just shove as many pieces as he could into his helmet and cuirass, before wrapping both in the doublet and continuing, now wearing nothing but a shirt, his sword belt, a pair of plain trousers, and his boots. As he was now carrying a sixty pound weight in his arms, rather than it being distributed over his whole body, he was forced to move slightly slower. Perhaps an hour later, he began to hear somewhat familiar sounds. Livestock and people. He was approaching a town. Just as he could see civilization, and thought he was finally catching a break, he began to feel light-headed, and he collapsed at the edge of the town after taking only a few more steps. As he finally lost consciousness, the last thing he saw was an old woman walking over as fast as she could. She was shouting over her shoulder in a language he didn’t know. In a language he had never even heard. “O ni-ri, hayaku kite!”(You two, come quickly!)

———

When Leopold awoke, he was in a strange room. The walls appeared to be made of wood and paper, with no obvious door. As he sat up from the mat he was laying on, he noticed the absence of his sword. The longsword had been in his family for five generations, passed down from father to son. He got to his feet, and began to inspect the space he was in. The walls were in fact made of fibrous paper, a strange choice to be sure. He eventually discovered a panel slightly detached from the wall. He tried pulling on it, but received no result. Turning away he gave the side of the panel a frustrated shove. He froze as it slid away, revealing the next room. Leopold slowly moved into the room, seeing a low table in the center, with two cushions on each side. There were three other doors in the room, this appeared to be the center of the house. The door to his left opened, and the old woman came out carrying a bowl of soup. She saw Leopold and jumped. “Koko de nani o shite iru no? Kyūkei ga hitsuyōdesu!”(What are you doing out here? You need rest!) She was speaking so quickly he could barely hear the individual words. “I’m sorry, but I cannot understand what you say frau.” He could barely understand himself. His mouth and throat were so dry that the already guttural German sounded more like an unintelligible rasping growl. The woman seemed to grasp this, and handed him the bowl of broth and fish. She then, with a surprisingly strong grip, grabbed his wrist and guided him back to the room where he had awoken to begin with. “Suwatte. Taberu. Ima.”(Sit. Eat. Now.) Leopold could only assume that she wanted him to eat the soup, so he sat down on the floor mat and did so. The one thing that had remained consistent his entire life, no matter where he traveled, was that if and when you meet one, you do not anger the old lady. Once he had finished, he set the bowl aside. “Dankeschön frau. I am indebted to you.” She picked up the bowl and replied, “Sore ga watashi ga suru saigo no kotodearunaraba, watashi wa hanasu tame ni anata no aojiroi o shiri o oshiemasu.”(I’ll teach your pale ass to speak if it’s the last thing I do.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ll probably keep updating this, though I may not finish it if there’s no interest.


	2. Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new piece is put on the board.

For most of the day his host went about her business. Leopold helped where he could, though she often insisted he rest. When night fell, he returned to what seemed to have been made his room. 

———

He was jolted awake by a hard kick to the side, and his eyes immediately focused on the blade poised above his neck. It was curved like a kriegsmesser, but not nearly as long, with a laughably small disc instead of a crossguard. “Anatahadare?(Who are you?) Naze anata wa koko ni iru nodesu ka?”(Why are you here?) The sharp voice drew his attention to the fact that his attacker was female. She was much younger than the old woman, and had similar features. The most noticeable difference was in her eyes. They were the eyes of all the men who had fought and died beside him. Whoever this woman was, wherever this land was, she was one of it’s knights. “BUTA NI KOTAETE!”(ANSWER ME SWINE!) this shout had two effects, the first being that it snapped Leopold back to the present. In under a second he grabbed the blade of her sword, holding it tightly enough that it could not slide through his grip and cause severe damage, before pushing it off center, grappling his assailant’s arm and disarming her. The second effect of all this noise was the old woman awakening in the next room. She came into the room, knife in one hand, lantern in the other, and took in the scene before her. “Emiko, itsu koko ni tsukimashita ka?”(Emiko, when did you get here?) Noticing the sword on the floor, and the shallow cut on Leopold’s hand, she quickly put together what happened. “Emiko wa nani o shimashita ka?”(What did you do Emiko?) The woman, who from what Leopold could piece together was known by his host, straightened indignantly. “Watashinoheya de sobo ni kidzukanakatta otoko o mitsukemashita, nani o sureba ī nodesu ka?”(I found a man I did not recognize in my room Grandmother, what should I have done?) The old woman scowled and responded with exasperation in her voice, “Anata wa watashi o mezame saserubekideshita, jōkyō o setsumei sa sete kudasai.”(You should have woken me, let me explain the situation.)  
Leopold looked back and forth between the two. They were obviously family, and it sounded as though the intruder’s name was Emiko. Deciding to simply do what he knew, Leopold picked up the fallen sword with his uncut hand, and wiped his blood from the blade using his shirt. When done with this he held it out to her by the blade, knelt, and got her attention. “Emiko, I realize you cannot understand me, but I apologize for reacting as I did. Verzeihung.”([I beg]Forgiveness.) The women stopped their conversation and both looked at him. Emiko hesitantly reached out and took the hilt with both hands, before saying simply, “Arigato.”(Thank you.) Leopold stood to his full height of almost two meters, neither of the women coming above his bicep. For most of the past two days he had been hunched over, in the forest under the weight of his armor, in the house to appear less threatening to his host. As a result he let out a slight groan at the relief. Gesturing to himself he said “Leopold,” before gesturing at the old woman. For a moment she appeared to contemplate his meaning before answering simply, “Ochako. Wagaya e yōkoso, Leopold-kun.”(Ochako. Welcome to my home, Leopold.) Understanding flooded Emiko’s eyes as she grasped his meaning. She inclined her body slightly in a very shallow bow, as she addressed him. “Watashi wa jibun no kōdō o o po bishimasu, Leopold-kun.”(I apologize for my actions, Leopold.) Turning to Ochako she asked, “Dōshite kare wa koko de sobo ni natta nodesu ka?”(How did he come to be here Grandmother?) Ochako sat down on a stool in the room, and began. “Kare wa ni-nichi mae ni netsu to dassui-shō de han shinde mori kara deta.(He stumbled out of the forest two days ago, half dead of heat and dehydration.) Kare wa ken o mi ni tsuke, arushuno ifuku ni tsutsuma reta yoroi o hakonda.(He wore a sword, and carried armor wrapped in some kind of garment.) Kare ga taoreta toki, Yamato to Jirō wa kare o koko ni hakonda. (When he collapsed, Yamato and Jiro carried him here.) Watashi wa kare no ito o shiranakattanode, kare ni mo mada modotte imasendeshitaga, anata no kōdō nimokakawarazu kare ga anata no tame ni sōshita ato, sore wa junchō kamo shiremasen.(I had not yet returned either possession to him as I did not know his intentions, but it may be in order after he did so for you despite your actions.) Kare wa watashitachi no gengo o hanasenai ka rikai shite inainode, watashitachi wa kare ni oshienakereba narimasen.”(He does not speak or understand our language, so we must teach him.) Emiko briefly appeared at a loss for words, before responding. “Busō shita mishiranu hito ga aruite taore, anata no saisho no kōdō wa kare o ie ni tsurete iku kotodesu ka?”(An armed stranger walks up and collapses, and your first course of action is to take him home?) Ochako shot up, seemingly out of patience. “Watashi wa kono machi no isha Emikodesu, butagoya no soba ni kare o okizari ni subekidatta nodesu ka?”(I am this village’s doctor Emiko, should I have left him by the pigsty?) Emiko bowed in deference, realizing she had overstepped her boundaries. Leopold stood to the side, mystified by what was happening. The room had begun to brighten now, as the sun rose. The sting in his hand reminded him of the light cut on his palm. It would scar, but it would not be any true hindrance. Realizing he was dripping blood on the floor, he moved his injured hand onto the other, to minimize this. The motion drew Ochako’s attention. She walked out and came back seconds later with a small wooden box that she thrust into Emiko’s hands before pushing Leopold onto the stool, and leaving the room. Emiko looked like she wanted to protest, but sighed, and kneeled down beside Leopold. She opened the box to reveal a black flask, and several rolls of white cloth. She took his hand and put a particularly thick square of cloth, mostly white with some pink stains, on his thigh. He soon discovered the reason for this, as she poured some water on the cut, the water and blood making a new stain on the cloth. At least it looked like water. As soon as it made contact, his hand briefly stung more than before. Being a slight drunkard, Leopold could easily smell the odor of alchohol, despite it being very faint. Emiko set the flask aside, and began wrapping up Leopold’s hand, securing the bandage with a small pin. Emiko stood and bowed, before Leopold did the same as she began to leave the room. She paused and looked at him carefully before closing the door behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If the way Leopold disarmed Emiko seems unrealistic, then look up half-swording. As long as you don’t let it slide around in your hand, you can grab the blade without being cut too badly, or sometimes at all. It actually would’ve been the second if Leopold hadn’t been as out of it in this scene. Again, if you want an idea of what Leopold’s gear looks like, there’s a link in the first chapter. I take back what I said previously, I’m finishing this story whether there’s interest or not. Let me know if my translation method is too confusing!


	3. Duel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emiko is intrigued by Leopold’s sword, and challenges him to a duel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leopold’s strikes and guards are going to be referred to by their proper technical names, which will be translated like all other foreign words. As for Emiko, I don’t practice Kendo, so you’ll have to bear with me. If you don’t understand what I’m describing, go on YouTube and search Meyer Longsword.

By the time Leopold awoke again it was late in the day, perhaps noon, perhaps later. The first thing he noticed was that his armor had been brought in and laid out on a large sheet, and his sword was nearby. It was resting in its scabbard on a stand of some kind. He picked up the sword and attached the scabbard to his belt before putting on the entire assembly. He walked out into the main area to see it empty. He heard a shout from behind the door to his right and poised himself to draw his sword. He moved toward the door and opened it slowly. He relaxed as he saw that it was only Emiko practicing with her sword. He had never seen what was on the other side of this door, and realized that the house was significantly larger than he thought. The entire house was a rectangle, with the area he was currently in on one of the short sides. It appeared that the longer sides, made up of about five rooms each, were accessed by moving along a veranda that lined the inside of the rectangle. Making up most of the house was a courtyard that seemed to serve as both a garden and a leisure area. Emiko was on a large flat platform of rock in the center of a small fish pond. The rock was in the center of the courtyard, and would allow one to survey the entire garden. After he had watched Emiko practice for about half a minute, Leopold moved through the garden until he discovered that a small footbridge gave one access to the platform. As he made his way across the bridge, Emiko sheathed her blade and turned to meet him. “Konbanwa.”(Good evening.) Not knowing what else to do, Leopold responded, “And you,” deciding that would be adequate regardless of what her greeting meant. Emiko approached him, saying, “Anata no ha wa yunīkudesu, watashi wa sore no yōna mono o mita koto ga arimasen.”(Your blade is unique, I've never seen one quite like it.) Leopold simply looked at her with an impressively stupid expression on his face. With a heavy sigh, Emiko gestured at his sword and gave an exaggerated shrug. Leopold, believing she wished to know what it was called, slowly removed it from the scabbard and let it rest across both of his hands. He then extended his arms, at the same time saying, “Longsword.” She looked at him inquisitively, as he put away the sword, repeating the word slowly. She then drew her own blade, and raising it slightly said, “Katana.” Leopold repeated the phrase in his head a few times before saying it aloud, “Katana?” His accent had muddled the word, slightly prolonging the second syllable. Emiko smiled and walked across the rock to the opposite side before turning and leveling her sword at him. When he simply stood at the top of the bridge looking confused, she gave another sigh, and jerked the tip of her katana upward slightly, in an imitation of waving someone over. Finally understanding what she wanted, Leopold still paused for a moment wondering whether it was right to fight her. Deciding it would be disrespectful not to do so, he stepped onto the rock and drew his longsword. Before assuming a stance, he saluted her by holding the grip in front of his face, and slightly bending his knees as if about to kneel. He then assumed a pflug(plough) guard, holding the grip off to the right of his hip, the tip about level with his opponent’s heart. Emiko bowed, and then simply held her blade at a forty five degree angle. Their legs were both in similar positions, though mirrored. Leopold had his left forward, Emiko her right. The two began circling each other, one looking for an opening, the other waiting for her opponent to make a move. Believing he had found an opening, Leopold moved his arms up and tilted the tip of his blade back toward himself, before swinging level with his head for half a rotation like a tilted windmill in a zwerchhau(slanting cut). Emiko parried and retaliated by twisting her katana so that the edge faced away from his sword and swinging in the opposite direction of it, at the same time releasing a thunderous shout. Before it made contact however, Leopold had uncrossed his arms and pulled his blade down to hold it diagonally in front of his body, the tip tilted down. As Emiko’s katana touched his sword, he twisted his grip down and the tip up, putting his blade under Emiko’s, and his crossguard on top, locking their swords together. He made use of his height advantage to bear down on her, pushing her backward toward the edge of the stone. Emiko braced herself against the ground, and pulled down hard on her sword until it was at an angle where she could disengage, and sidestepped, before kicking Leopold in the back, causing him to stumble almost all the way to the edge. Leopold turned to see Emiko was rushing him, and put his blade out in front of him, fully extended into langort.(longpoint) This slowed her, but she couldn’t stop completely, not in time. Expecting this, Leopold stepped forward, and as she passed, struck the back of her skull with his pommel. The fact that this stunned her, (despite his efforts to compensate for her lack of a helm) along with her existing momentum, sent her careening into the fish pond. The cold brought her out of her daze, and Emiko shot to her feet in the waist-deep water, before wading over to the side and pulling herself out. Ochako chose that moment to make her presence known by giving a short round of applause as Leopold sheathed his longsword. She went to Emiko, who was now seething and completely soaked, and spoke to her. Leopold had by now started down the bridge on the opposite side from Emiko and Ochako, and so heard nothing. He made his way along the path toward his opponent, who had calmed down to a degree when he reached her. She gave him a stiff bow and started toward an open door in the front side of the house after Leopold returned it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. So yeah, there’ll absolutely be at least one asshole in the comments who thinks that katanas are unstoppable and argues that Leopold’s sword should’ve been cut in half. Listen up. This is bullshit. A katana cannot cut through steel beyond a VERY thin sheet. The same is true of any other sword. SWORDS CANNOT CUT THROUGH OTHER SWORDS, AND THEY CANNOT CUT THROUGH PLATE ARMOR NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES THE STEEL IS FOLDED. THE ONLY TIME METAL FOLDING MAKES A DIFFERENCE IS WHEN THE SWORD IS PUT UNDER A TRULY ABSURD AMOUNT OF PRESSURE.


End file.
